Chaplain Sacramento

POSITION TITLE:

Chaplain REPORTS TO (TITLE):
Director of Clinical Services PAY RANGE: $33.80 - $40.56/per hour Flexible position (24-32 hours per week--8 hour shifts) DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

The Chaplain provides spiritual care, emotional support, and ethical guidance to patients, families, and staff within an inpatient psychiatric hospital environment. Working as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Chaplain supports the organization’s therapeutic philosophy by offering trauma informed, culturally sensitive spiritual services that complement clinical care. The Chaplain assists patients in exploring meaning, coping with illness, navigating crises, and accessing personal belief systems as part of holistic treatment.

The role also supports staff well being, contributes to ethical decision making, and ensures compliance with standards related to patient rights, documentation, and spiritual care practices.

• Provide individualized spiritual assessments to identify beliefs, values, sources of meaning, and areas of spiritual distress.
• Offer crisis support during acute psychiatric episodes, including suicidality, grief, trauma responses, or emotional dysregulation.
• Deliver one‑on‑one spiritual counseling, reflective listening, and meaning‑centered interventions.
• Facilitate optional spirituality groups focused on mindfulness, hope, resilience, and grounding practices.
• Support patients navigating psychosis, mood disorders, and complex trauma with non‑clinical but clinically aligned interventions.
• Respond to patient requests for spiritual guidance, prayer, meditation, or ritual support in accordance with hospital policy.
• Support staff well‑being during crises by providing emotional grounding, spiritual presence, and post‑incident stabilization resources.

• Collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and therapists to integrate spiritual care into treatment plans.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, providing updates on spiritual needs and patient progress.
• Support treatment goals by reinforcing coping strategies, emotional regulation, and meaning‑making aligned with clinical objectives.
• Assist with family meetings, offering spiritual guidance, grief support, and communication assistance during crises.
• Provide staff support, including debriefing after critical incidents, burnout prevention, and emotional/spiritual wellness resources.

• Serve as a resource for ethical consultation related to patient autonomy, consent, cultural considerations, and end‑of‑life decisions.
• Advocate for patient rights, including respect for religious, cultural, and non‑religious identities.
• Support processes involving patient grievances or concerns related to spiritual care or cultural respect.
• Ensure compliance with hospital policies, Joint Commission standards, and DSH requirements related to spiritual services.

• Document spiritual assessments, interventions, and patient encounters in the medical record according to hospital policy.
• Maintain accurate records of patient interactions, group participation, and spiritual care plans.
• Assist with audits or reviews related to spiritual care documentation and compliance.
• Track patient needs, referrals, and follow‑up requirements in hospital reporting systems.

• Master of Divinity (MDiv) or equivalent graduate theological degree from accredited institutions or equivalent academic preparation.
• Completion of Clinical Pastoral Education (minimum 2–4 units; psychiatric or trauma‑focused experience preferred).
• One year of experience providing spiritual care in healthcare,…